The present invention relates to the cleaning and smoothing of surfaces having strongly adhered foreign matter. More specifically, the present invention relates to a product and method of forming a functional and repeating pattern of reservoirs and raised plateaus formed on an elastically deformable compressible polishing material, and a method of removing strongly adhered foreign matter from a work surface and a method for the operator to both measure and control polishing force, reduce operator fatigue, lower costs and maximize efficiency and performance of the polishing operation.
A multitude of contaminants and strongly adhered foreign matter affect coated and uncoated surfaces and cause a diminished appearance and breakdown of protective layers and/or coatings, thereby creating costly repairs and diminished value of the item with the coated surface. There are many types of foreign matter which can affect coated and non-coated surfaces, including but not limited to paint overspray, iron mist, brake dust, tree sap, bug residue, industrial fallout, and many other type of pollutants and foreign matter that can settle onto a work surface and are not easily washed from the surface using a detergent solution. Conventional methods of removing such contaminants from coated and non-coated surfaces include the use of water, detergents, polishes and abrasives in a variety of forms. Conventional products and methods of removing such strongly adhered foreign matter consist of a broad range of products that can be costly, environmentally unfriendly, confusing to operate, time consuming and laborious for the operator and in many cases cause more damage to the work surface and cause increased cost of repairs.
In the field of cleaning, polishing and/or removing contaminants and/or strongly adhered foreign matter from work surfaces, there is a voluminous variety of compositions, tools, systems and methods. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,859 by Inoue and examined published Japanese Patent Application 1-97572 by Furudate and JPB411335 disclose both elastic and plastic compositions and methods for polishing and/or cleaning work surfaces of contaminants and/or strongly adhered foreign matter both with and without holders and/or applicators. JPB0197572 by Furudate discloses a holder in the form of a foam pad for the plastic flexible grinding stone. Over the years many improvements and innovations have been made in this field. A multitude of patents relate to various polishing compositions, methods and systems including but not limited to; U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,859 by Inoue, JPB0197572 by Furudate, U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,416 by Kodate, U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,993 by Kodate, U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,758 by Kucala, U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,064 by Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,714 by Kodate, U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,579 by Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 7,094,449 by Boler. U.S. Pat. No. 7,867,967 by Tsai, U.S. Pat. No. 8,025,557 by Andrichik and U.S. Pat. No. 8,430,724 by Heilian. In some manner, all of the aforementioned references disclose plastic and elastic polishing compositions, systems and/or methods of polishing a work surface of an automotive, marine, aviation or other transportation vehicle. Japanese patent JPB0197572 by Furudate, U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,416 by Kodate and U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,993 by Kodate specifically disclose a means of removing strongly adhered foreign matter from a work surface using a plastic flexible tool comprising a plastic flexible material with and/or without detergent as means of both removing strongly adhered foreign matter and a means of controlling polishing force. Many of the compositions formulated according to these related art references require frequent folding or kneading of the polishing material during the polishing operation. However, as such material can harden or dry out over time, this folding or kneading can become difficult if not impossible, thus causing many problems as instructions on the related art products recommend storing moist in an air tight container to keep the material from drying out and becoming useless.
Contaminants that are being polished or removed from the work surface using such conventional products and methods in most cases actually adhere to the surface of the polishing material itself and can blend in with the polishing material and/or are not easily noticed by the operator. As such, there is no definitive way for the operator to determine if turning, folding or kneading and/or cleaning of the material is required or when the material should be discarded. Moreover, if there are no contaminants on the surface of the polishing material itself, and the operator is unnecessarily turning, folding and/or kneading the polishing material, this causes unnecessary work, increased labor costs, project delays and operator fatigue. In many situations, such compositions and methods of the conventional means are used to remove paint overspray. In the automotive repair industry, there is a type of paint coating which is transparent or “clear.” As this type of coating is used in workshops and near vehicles, frequently “overspray” can be deposited and adhere to vehicle surfaces and cause a diminished appearance and reduced gloss reflectivity thus requiring cleaning, polishing and removal of such transparent paint overspray. The surface of a vehicle is cleaned and/or polished using such conventional products and methods of the related art. This type of contamination is normally not visible on the surface of the vehicle, however can be located conventionally by feeling the work surface with the human hand. However, such transparent contamination sometimes cannot be seen on the surface of the polishing materials. As such, often times the polishing operation using the conventional methods is not efficient or cost effective. Often times, polishing materials that contain this type of transparent contamination are not used to their full ability and/or are discarded unnecessarily. While a composition and method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,714 by Kodate in an attempt to address the frequent turning, folding and/or kneading of the polishing materials, with “rotatable globular particles,” there has been no composition or method or variation thereof which has ever been reduced to actual practice or commercialized and the clogging phenomenon as it is referenced in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,714 by Kodate patent is still an issue of concern with these types of related art materials. U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,064 by Miller and U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,579 by Miller disclose compositions systems and methods of locating contamination on the surface of automotive finishes or work surface to be polished and also reference the polishing material as claimed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,714 by Kodate patent. However, again, no such material has ever been reduced to actual practice or commercialized. U.S. Pat. No. 7,094,449 by Boler discloses an improvement on the related art compositions disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,416 by Kodate and U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,993 by Kodate. The U.S. Pat. No. 7,094,449 by Boler discloses combining the related art materials with a surface coating composition while also impregnating said material into a foam pad type applicator system to both remove contamination and apply a surface coating to the work surface being polished. U.S. Pat. No. 7,867,967 by Tsai discloses a composition consisting of a colloid material (25%-60%), resin (10%-20%), abrasive powders (15-30%), stabilizer, fibers and natural turpentine that are bonded together to form said cleaning mixture composition. This U.S. Pat. No. 7,867,967 Tsai patent appears to operate in the same manner to the related art methods and discloses that the claimed composition operates in such a manner to “shovel up” substances and/or contaminants that have adhered to automotive finishes. However, the specification of this '967 Tsai patent discloses that the operation is performed without the use of water or any other component that is not included in the cleaning mixture itself. The specification of the '967 Tsai patent discloses that to “remove superficially adhered substances from a working surface . . . a user only needs to exert the sponge serving to buffer and evenly distribute the force applied thereon, permitting the cleaning surface of the mixture article to precisely correspond to the substances bonded onto the working surface. Part of the adhered substance squeezed by the mixture article will get encapsulated thereby and the different crystalized abrasive powders and carbon powders added to the mixture article can boost the suction power between the mixture article and the working surface so that the mixture article can contact with the adhered substances to generate a shovel like effect and shovel up the adhered substances from the working surface. The, the adhesion property of the colloid material and resin will viscously grip the adhered substances to clean up with working surface and the static electricity generated by the friction on the surface of the colloid material will easily suck up the adhered substances. Thus, without great force exerting therein, the mixture article can wipe off toughly adhered substances and clean them from the working surface in an easy and effortless manner. After the cleaning job is done, the mixture article can be simply washed by water to clean the micro particles adhered thereto so that the mixture article can be repeatedly applied to enhance its durability thereby.”
The claim of “resin” in the patent claim, and only more specifically identified in the patent specification as an “ecofriendly nature resin” is added in a proportion of 10% to 20% respectively, and according to the patent specification is added to “provide the mixture article with appropriate adhesion, elasticity and coherence.” There is no specific ingredient, trade name or product name or other reference to “resin” listed in the claims or patent specification although there is much discussion about “natural turpentine” in this patent specification. The patent specification discloses that the natural turpentine “can boost the cohesive and adhesive properties of the components thereof to form the mixture article.” While there is not a clear distinction between the “resin” and “natural turpentine” it appears that the two components are listed as separate in the claim, yet seem to describe identical purposes and functions in the specification. Similar to the related art U.S. Pat. No. 7,094,449 Boler patent, the '967 Tsai patent also claims that the specific “mixture article” can be mounted to a sponge body fitted to a polishing (waxing) device, thus permitting the polishing (waxing) device to combine with the mixture article into one unit so that “the mixture article can be utilized to achieve polishing and waxing effects.” This '967 Tsai patent discloses and claims that the claimed mixture article is “defined by uneven and irregular texture having adhesive gaps formed among the ribs thereof that can also viscously grip and remove fine dust from the working surface in the polishing or waxing process.”
U.S. Pat. No. 8,430,724 by Heilian discloses a combination of improvements over the wide variety of related art in this area, although like much of the other related art, this invention has not been reduced to actual practice or commercialized. The specification of the '724 Heilian patent states that “The primary objective of the present invention is that the surface cleaning system can efficiently remove stain, including high adhesive substance, from a surface, especially a surface of an automobile, without damaging the surface. The surface cleaning system comprises a retainer having a non-absorbing retaining surface and a surface cleaning compound retained at the retaining surface of the retainer and formed a cleaning surface overlapped thereat.”
Thus, the '724 Heilian patent claims a more precise design over the '967 Tsai patent generally incorporating an “overlapping retainer,” the use of water and also more specific and defined “grooves” having a similar function as disclosed in the '967 Tsai patent.
The specification of the '724 Heilian patent discloses a system with a “retainer” utilizing the same cleaning mixture article of the aforementioned '967 Tsai patent and discloses further embodiments for additional applicators and the use of a “solvent” to which the “solvent” can be either natural turpentine or plain water. According to the specification, the additional element of “water” seems to be operational for two functions, as both a means of lowering manufacturing temperature [as opposed to using natural turpentine] and a means of enhancing the operation temperature of the surface cleaning compound during the surface cleaning operation. Accordingly, the secondary element of adding water during the surface cleaning operation was not a requirement or claimed element of the cleaning operation as described in the '967 Tsai patent, and to the contrary it seems as though the '967 Tsai patent taught a functional benefit over the related art because the cleaning operation could be performed only with the cleaning mixture article and without the use of water or other lubricants.
Additionally, the specification of this '724 Heilian patent discloses “a plurality of contaminant collecting grooves is formed at the cleaning surface to collect contaminants being grabbed by the surface cleaning compound in order to prevent the contaminants accumulated by the surface cleaning compound to scratch the working surface.”
The related art '967 Tsai patent discloses that the mixture article is “defined by uneven and irregular texture having adhesive gaps formed among the ribs thereof that can also viscously grip and remove fine dust from the working surface in the polishing or waxing process” and “the mixture article can be simply washed by water to clean the micro particles adhered thereto.” However, those skilled in the art understand that not all micro particles adhered to the mixture article of the '967 patent by Tsai can be washed away or removed from the mixture article. An operational disadvantage of this mixture article is that contaminants such as paint overspray cannot be removed from this mixture article, and thus the clogging phenomenon of the related art is still a problem of this mixture article of products according to the '967 patent by Tsai.
Accordingly, one could surmise that according to the specification of the '724 Heilian patent, the claimed benefit of adding the “overlapping retainer” is so that water can be introduced to the polishing operation using the cleaning mixture article so that (a) the water is not absorbed into the sponge article, and (b) so that the “micro particles” or “contaminants” that have been removed from the polishing surface and thereby collected into the “grooves” of the cleaning mixture article can be easily rinsed away with water during the polishing operation.
The specification of the '724 Heilian patent and illustrations further define and disclose that “The contaminant collecting grooves are longitudinally and transversely formed on the cleaning surface of the cleaning head, wherein the contaminant collecting grooves are intersected with each other on the cleaning surface of the cleaning head.” The ordinary dictionary definition of a “groove” is “a long narrow cut or low area in a surface.” This ordinary dictionary definition is the same as the grooves as described and as shown in the illustrations of the '724 Heilian patent. Moreover, this design shares similarity to the design of a “buffing pad” as claimed in U.S. Pat. No. D553,932S by Boler which is by the same inventor as U.S. Pat. No. 7,094,449 by Boler of the aforementioned related art. Interestingly enough U.S. Pat. No. 7,094,449 by Andrichik, U.S. Pat. No. 7,867,967 by Tsai and U.S. Pat. No. 8,430,724 by Heilian all bear striking similarity in function, operation and almost identical disclosures of the specifications and the claims.
While some of the related art plastic flexible tools date back to their first use on automobile surfaces as early as 1987, there is still significant issues reported of associated product and operator failure and errors, of both professional and consumer polishing operations and also reports of damage to the work surfaces and wasted product. Even with the closely related inventors and patents as mentioned above having combined buffing pads with functional designs and also colloidal materials with or without contaminant collecting grooves, there has never been any use, claimed function, benefit or commercialization of any elastically deformable compressible polishing material having a functional and repeating pattern of reservoirs and raised plateaus and a means for an end user and/or operator to efficiently introduce such functional structures into an elastically deformable compressible polishing material.
The related art which claims plastic flexible grinding stones, plastic flexible tools and sanding clay according to their respective specifications contain a makeup comprised of approximately 60% resins and 40% abrasives. Many also claim to have a combination of different resins in a variety of percentages and combinations, varying percentages of solvents, detergents, processing oils, surface coating agents, fillers, fibers, foam particles, extenders and/or other pigments incorporated therein as taught in the art. It is common practice for producers and resellers of this related art plastic flexible polishing materials that the plastic flexible polishing materials are to be first pressed flat against a work surface to form a flat and planar surface of the plastic flexible polishing material prior to the polishing operation. There are many drawbacks to this related art category one of which is their lack of ability to indicate to the operator if the proper working pressure is being applied, accomplished and/or achieved during the polishing operation. This has caused many problems including damage to the surface by both professional and consumer operators. Another drawback is the lack of indication to the operator when the product should be folded, reformed and/or discarded. Another drawback is the lack of the ability to measure and control polishing force without the use of a precise mixture of a plastic flexible material and/or a detergent incorporated within the polishing material itself. Accordingly it can be seen that this related art does not have the benefits and/or claimed combination of features, limitations and elements of the present invention as will be set forth herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,859 by Inoue claims a broad range and combination of abrasives and resins in polishing and cleaning operations for removing contaminants and strongly adhered foreign matter. The '859 Inoue patent abstract states “A novel method of polishing a work piece surface comprises passing over the surface in elastically compressive abrasive contact therewith a mass of discrete, elastically deformable pieces each individually consisting of a matrix of elastomeric material containing finely divided abrasive particles substantially uniformly distributed at least along a surface region of the individual piece.” Moreover, the specification of this '859 Inoue patent discloses that abrasive particles can be in the matrix of elastomeric material within a range from 10% to 80% and the matrix can consist of a variety of substances including synthetic or natural rubber, silicone resin, urethane resin, epoxy resin and a variety of other resins.
The '967 Tsai patent accordingly claims a very specific cleaning mixture which consists of colloid material (25%-60%), resin (10%-20%) and abrasive powders (15%-30%), stabilizer, fibers and natural turpentine. The ordinary dictionary definition of a “colloid” is “A substance in which microscopically dispersed insoluble particles are suspended throughout another substance. Sometimes the dispersed substance alone can be a colloid.” When reviewing the definition of colloid, it is referenced that rubber by itself is a colloid. Although, the ordinary definition of colloid discloses that it is an “insoluble particle” it is well known in the art that rubber is mixed with solvents, including turpentine, to help them to be more easily dispersed throughout a mixture. Further, the '967 Tsai patent claims that the colloid material can comprise silicone gel, medical used white glue, and hot melt adhesive. Accordingly, the cleaning composition of the '967 Tsai patent requires the use of natural turpentine which is very hazardous. Natural turpentine is an organic solvent and its vapor can irritate the skin and eyes as well as damage the lungs, respiratory system and central nervous system when inhaled. Natural turpentine can also cause renal failure, among other things, when ingested. Being combustible, natural turpentine also poses a fire hazard. Accordingly because the cleaning composition of the '967 Tsai patent requires the use of this hazardous substance, the drawbacks for the manufacturing, handling and use of this method are quite obvious.
There is also a functional and operational problem with the mixture article of the '967 patent by Tsai such that contaminants such as “paint overspray” form a permanent bond to the mixture article itself and cannot be “washed away or cleaned” in any manner from the mixture article. The related art which also experiences the “clogging phenomenon” however can be folded or kneaded and has an operational advantage over the mixture article of the '967 patent by Tsai. Once the mixture article of the '967 Tsai patent is clogged with paint overspray the mixture article no longer functions and since it cannot be cleaned of the overspray and the surface of the mixture article cannot be renewed, it must be discarded because it is no longer operational. Thus there is a significant functional and operational disadvantage of the mixture article of the '967 patent by Tsai.
Such related art compositions are very dark black or dark grey or other dark color due to the use of carbon black, rubber and/or other ingredients used during the manufacturing process. This specific related art category comprises products which are not only hazardous, they are very costly for the operator with significant operational disadvantages and product problems. One disadvantage of this related art category is that the operator cannot determine if there are any particles adhered to the product that could damage the work surface. Another operational disadvantage is that the operator cannot determine if the proper operational pressure is being achieved during the polishing operation, which is crucial for the variety of polishing objectives and, in many cases, can cause severe damage to automotive painted surfaces requiring significant “paint correction” which is a timely and costly process.
Other significant disadvantages of this particular related art category is that the operator cannot determine when the polishing material should be cleaned, nor when the polishing material has lost its' ability to function properly in a polishing operation. In some situations, a single operator is responsible for conducting a polishing operation and a coating operation. Such related art product causes increased costs and increased labor and operator fatigue. In many situations, an operator will conduct a polishing operation using these type of related art products and methods, and then move on to the coating/waxing process. However, in the coating/waxing process additional contaminants that the related art products and methods have missed are revealed and/or noticed by the operator, and the entire process needs to be repeated and contaminants removed before the coating/waxing process can be achieved properly on a work surface that is free of contaminants and/or strongly adhered foreign matter. Furthermore, in many situations a polishing operation using such related art products is conducted in an assembly line by one operator and then another coating and/or waxing operation is conducted by a different operator further down the assembly line. In many situations like this, the coating and/or waxing operation of the second operator will find contaminants that the first polishing operation missed due to product failure and/or misuse and/or operator failure, disrupting the assembly line, with decreased production rate, increased product costs and labor costs and costly and cumbersome delays.
It would therefore be desirable to provide an elastically deformable compressible polishing material, and a method of removing strongly adhered foreign matter from a work surface to both measure and control polishing force, reduce operator fatigue, lower costs and maximize efficiency and performance of the polishing operation.